Well, I'm pretty sure I've decided to go with the Mugen exhaust. It looks good, offers substantial weight savings and is priced a bit more reasonably than the Amuse. The only thing I'm not sure about is the sound but I know it's not too loud which is what I want (i just hope it sounds good).

Now before placing my order I need to figure out which header to go with. I know this has been covered quite a bit but looking through old posts really hasn't helped me so much.

First though: Mugen. It has to have been engineered to work well with the exhaust, it makes good midrange power and supports the heatsheild which isn't a bad thing. It also offers comparable weight savings to most other headers out there. Now I'm fine with getting midrange and limited topend as this is what this car really needs, but I'm concerned that maybe it actually loses topend power kind of like Ricks Header. Anyone have any knowledge about this?

Next: Ricks. Sounds almost as good as the Mugen but for about half the price. Seems like a no brainer except that it does actually lose power in the topend. I have a real hard time with the concept of paying to lose horsepower, even if if is only 3. Thoughts?

Next: Toda. Love them but it seems like there are too many problems for such an expensive header... Granted it makes good power on the whole RPM range, but scraping the collector... come on and what about the few on the board who have cracked it... For the price that shouldn't happen.

Next: J's. I'm really curious about this one... Everyone seems to say it's great but I'm not sure who actually has it? I'd love to get some more feedback from people who actually have it on their car. I'm also not convinced that bigger is better in this case. Am I wrong in assuming that overly large primaries can actually cost you hp?

Next: Fujitsubo. Love the Fuji. I was going to get this exhaust but I'm kind of over the large shinny metal can look... Now about the header, it's light, it looks good, but very few people have it and I can't seem to get feedback about how much power it makes if any.

That's about it. Any others I'm forgetting and you think I should be considering, feel free to chime in about.
Damn, I just realised that as I asked my questions I also ended up writing up a lot of basic info for the noobies.

Anyways, please help... I can't freaking make up my mind

 

I can address this. All headers change the power output curve. It is give and take. In a stock car, the Mugen and Rick's performed about the same, both added mid range power in the curve and lost some at the very top (8k +). In the dyno plot of the Rick's we did, you could see that the ECU dumped additional fuel in up there, and that was most likely the cause. With some type of FMS you could lean it out at the very top and gain it all back. Maybe even make some additional power. But the point of the test was to show that it made power in the useable RPM range with a stock S2000. You will always get additional power if you tune to the bolt ons you have.

Lets face it, how often are you over 8000 rpm anyway? You are almost always around 5000 rpm and that is where we made the strongest gains.

 

J's Racing. I have it and can tell that it adds a nice gain on the butt dyno.

Ryan

 

You paying HUGE money for Mugen but if that's what you want, then I can't argue with you. Some people simply MUST have the name at whatever price.

"Looks" is subjective. Lots of exhausts "look" good and most will save weight. In my eyes, Mugen has no advantage here.

It may be priced more reasonably than Amuze, but it's priced absolutely STUPID when compared to other products that perform just as good.

And yet, you have no qualms about spending HUGE money to gain only a few?

I have a Toda header. Again, STUPID money. NOT worth it! However, that cracking issue was only with one of the brackets and people didn't stop long enough to think that something wasn't right when they installed it. I put in spacers there and have absolutely no problems with cracking. If Rick's was available at the time, there is no doubt in my mind that's the one I would have gotten. You're not going to get startling gains with any header. Why pay rediculous money for it unless you want the bragging rights of "I own a Mugen ................ ".

I have the Fuji and love it, but then, I like large shiny cans.

 

Having had the Rick's header on and off my car several times, I feel that I can speak with regards to this piece.

for the Rick's header.

It looks good, supports the heatshields, and definately is lighter than stock. Why am I a proponent of the heatshield use? Hotter gases flow faster. If you can retain the heat in the header, the exhaust gases can exit faster. Sure, other variables play a role as well when it comes to efficiency.

You did forget Comptech's offering. It's design is a 4-1 versus the Mugen/Rick's 4-2-1 design. I believe you do not gain anything low-end, but do at the high-end.

I had an easier time installing the Rick's 4-2-1 than stock(probably because of the weight) and way easier than the Comptech. The Comptech takes a little coaxing.

 

Wow, thanks for the input so far guys. Good stuff, a lot more objective than what I found using the search.

Keep em coming.

By the way Xviper, I couldn't care less about the Mugen name... I just want good gains for my money. It think the mugen exhaust looks awesome on the 05 as well as offer a weight savings while not being too loud. I gotta get something outta my exhaust if it ain't gonna be power... I do like the fuji though and was tempted to go that route.

Can you post a bit more of your impressions about the Toda? I know you're supercharged but that's ok, it's in my future as well. I just had to put it off for a bit (hardwood flooring the house instead).

The Ricks is really tempting as the price isn't as STUPID... Like i said though.. paying for a loss... not too sure. You're point is well taken though Stratocaster, a bit of tuning and other breathing mods might hammer that out.

Keep it coming, I'm still listening.

 

If your going FI, the bigger the better. J's is the largest header.

Ryan

 

If this is the case, then get the Mugen only if you prefer the looks and sounds of it over other options. When it comes to looks, price is no object. You gotta have what you like.
The Toda header for me was a purchase of convenience. Another owner close to me decided not to put it on his car and I decided to buy it on the spur of the moment. Like you said, I'm S/Cd, so I'm hoping the Toda is giving me something. I've never dynoed the car, so I can't really say for sure but reports here has indicated substantial gains when the car is blown. It did deepen the "tone" of the exhaust slightly, but I wouldn't consider this as a selling feature. Without heat shields, you should at least have a header that's looks nice and the Toda is a very attractive looking piece, but again not worth it to me for the price. However, it has stood the test of time. So far, it has not shown any signs of defect in workmanship but I'm sure the spacers I put in prevented that problem.
If you are interested you can see my install with pics here:
https://www.s2ki.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=144699

 

Upon doing further research, it appears that Rick's is not a copy of the Mugen design. I'm sure it's still a very good header, especially for the price but it looks nothing like the Mugen when you put them side by side.
Actually, the Amuse is a carbon copy of the Mugen Design minus the heatsheild mounting points. It is possible that the Amuse uses different diameters but the actual design is the same.

To Illustrate my point:


Mugen

Amuse

Rick's

 

I'll buy the Ricks when I get the money. It seems to be the best bang for the buck, and with my AEM v2 and T1r 70m, I'll tune a VAFC to their optimal performance... I can't afford bawler JDM headers!